Indian Wells 2021: Five players to watch out for
The 2021 BNP Paribas Open (men's main draw), also known as the Indian Wells Masters, will begin on October 7. A new champion will be crowned this time as defending champion Dominic Thiem, world number one Novak Djokovic, Swiss ace Roger Federer, and Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal have withdrawn from the tournament. Here are the players to watch out for at Indian Wells.
Daniil Medvedev is the front-runner to win the title
World number two Daniil Medvedev enters the BNP Paribas Open as the top seed. He recently clinched his maiden Grand Slam title by winning the US Open. The Russian defeated Djokovic to win the title. Medvedev has a win-loss record of 48-10 in the ongoing season. He has won a total of four titles. The Russian has a 3-3 record at Indian Wells.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has won over 50 matches this season
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has been in amazing form too. He has won over 50 matches in the season (51-15). Tsitsipas reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open, earlier this season. Notably, he has reached the quarter-finals in five of his six Masters 1000 events in 2021. Tsitsipas would want to improve his record at Indian Wells (1-2).
Alexander Zverev won the gold medal in Tokyo
Alexander Zverev will open his campaign either against a qualifier or Jenson Brooksby. He clinched the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics besides winning the Masters 1000 event in Madrid and Cincinnati, as well as the ATP 500 event in Acapulco. After winning the quarter-finals at the US Open, Zverev extended his unbeaten streak to 16. He has a 5-4 record at Indian Wells.
Matteo Berrettini yet to win a match at Indian Wells
World number seven Matteo Berrettini will play either against a qualifier or America's Denis Kudla in the opening round. The former reached his maiden Grand Slam final, earlier this year, at Wimbledon. At the US Open, Berrettini qualified for his third straight major quarter-final. Notably, the Italian has never won a match at Indian Wells from two main draw appearances
Andrey Rublev is 46-16 in the season
Russia's Andrey Rublev reached his eighth semi-finals in the season. He boasts a win-loss record of 46-16. The 23-year-old won his only title in Rotterdam. Rublev qualified for two Masters 1000 finals (Monte Carlo and Cincinnati). The Russian defeated Nadal en route to the final in Monte Carlo. He has won only one match at Indian Wells (1-2).
